If you are the parent of a toddler…and you are reading this…I have one word for you:
LAUNDRY.
Ermygaaad. Am I right?!!! How can someone so little generate SO MUCH LAUNDRY???? Stick with me, kid, I got you. I’m about to share with you the BEST laundry hacks for toddler parents (or people who participate in the process of cleaning clothes belonging to tiny beings).
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Tip #1: Keep hampers all over the house.
Whether it’s a hamper in each room or on each floor, make sure hampers are readily accessible.
In our house, we have one hamper in each bedroom and an additional one in the laundry room. Whatever room you happen to be in while you are disrobing…into the hamper your clothes go!
These are my favorite, because they are lightweight, hold a decent amount of clothing, and are cute.
HomeHacks 2 Pack Large Laundry Baskets, Waterproof, Freestanding Laundry Hampers, Collapsible Clothes Hamper with Reinforced Handles in Laundry Room, College Dorm, Bathroom, Bedroom (Grey, 75Lx2)Tip #2: Get your kids involved with laundry (and chores in general) from day 1.
For your own sake (and, quite honestly, the sake of your children), teach your children how to do chores. Get them involved in the day-to-day running of your home and make them feel included! (For more ideas, check out 7 Household Chores for Toddlers.) In general, littles LOVE to help! Make it fun, make it a part of daily life, make it part of your routine.
At this point in time, Nugget is 5 and Peanut is 3. They both know how to:
- Put their clothes into a hamper or directly into the washer after disrobing
- How to load clothes into the washing machine (with supervision)
- How to load clothes from the washing machine into the dryer (again, with supervision)
- How to sort and put clean clothes away
- How to choose their own outfits
Which leads me to my favorite tip…
Tip #3: Get bins for each category of clothing and have them accessible!
At one point in time, laundry in the Smith household consisted of every single article of clothing being hung or folded. Then I discovered Marie Kondo.
Storage Bins, 3-Pack Large Storage Box with Rope Handles, Collapsible Storage Basket for Organizing Books, Clothes, Rhombic GreyWe have a bin for pants, a bin for long sleeve tops, one for shorts, etc. Rather than rolling or folding, I just stack them. It’s not my ideal but it works! SO MUCH TIME SAVED.
Tip #4: Find out a rhythm for your family and go with it!
For our family, I have found that doing laundry once a day works for us (at least the washing and drying part). STILL trying to figure out a rhythm for the sorting/putting away process! LOL
Tip #5: Keep an extra set of clothes in your car
I can’t tell you how many times this has come in handy. (Others have even borrowed our clothes!) You never know when you might need an extra pair of socks, pants, underwear, etc…
Tip #6: Minimize
Less is more! Reducing your inventory will reduce the stress of choosing, finding, maintaining, etc.
Tip #7: Do something unconventional if it makes sense for YOUR family
In our family, keeping the kiddos’ socks in the mudroom near the shoes MAKES SENSE. (The rest of our laundry lives upstairs in our bedroom closets.) We still have those frantic moments of running around looking for socks…but for the most part, keeping the kids’ socks near the shoes helps us get out the door faster most days. (And I’ll take any win I can get!)
Did I leave anything out? Let me know in the comments!
Happy washing,
